Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Let's Do Freelance Writing Work: Bid Sites

Lately, I’ve been trying to come up with some original
advice to help ya’ll in your freelance writing endeavors. It’s harder than it
looks. There are countless sites out there on the Internet that cover
everything from pitch letters to site reviews and any obscure idea in between.
I want to actually help. Regurgitating the same old blah blah blah ain’t gonna
cut it. So, I thought I’d start a new Let’s Series about how to find success workingon a freelance writing site. Introductions made, let’s do work.

The first year or so of my freelance writing career was
spent bidding day after day on projects at Freelancer. For those who do not
know, Freelancer is a bid-for site like Elance, ODesk and others. I spent countless
hours composing targeted bids for projects that paid pennies. I ended up
getting a lot of jobs from these types of freelance writing sites over the
years, and I’ve met clients that I still work with. However, you’ll spend a lot
of time bidding on worthless projects. But there are a few simple things you
can do as a freelance writer to cut down on the wasted time.

1.Compose a Generic Bid – Don’t make it too generic. A large percentage of projects I’ve
won have been from a targeted, specific bid. That doesn’t mean you have to
spend a lot of time bidding. Write up an easily adapted opening bid and change
it so that it is relevant to the project. Regardless of your opening, you’ll
find your bread and butter in private messages to the client.

2.Make Your Bid Immaculate – With the above said, make sure your opening proposal
outshines everyone else. Ensure your grammar and spelling is spot on and your
bid is relevant to what the buyer wants.

3.Give
Samples And Examples – Give reasons why you’re right for the job. Copy and
paste your opening bid, but then follow up with a private message containing
your writing samples and examples of your published work. This is where a
personal website pays dividends.

4.Find That
Middle Ground – Price yourself in the mid-range. Over-pricing will get
overlooked while under-pricing will get took for granted.

5.Know When
To Walk Away – Look at the buyer’s stats. If they have a horrible payment
or complaint record, walk away. If their pay is low, walk away. If their
instructions are obscure, walk away. The last thing you need is to get
entangled with a client who won’t pay, pays too low or can’t decide on what
they want.

6.Find The
Right Project – With these bid-for sites you got to be selective. You’re
going to get countless emails and notifications about freelance writing projects.
Most of them will be worthless compared to the time it takes to bid. Learn the
trends and be choosy. Time is money.

7.Get That
Rating Right – All bid-for sites give ratings for both the buyer and the
producer. No matter how shitty your first or fifth project may be, get it done
to the best of your ability. A good rating will net you higher paying jobs in
the future.

8.Learn How
To Work The System – These bid-for sites take a good chunk of cash in fees
from both the buyer and producer. After you’ve built some trust with the
project creator, suggest going independent to save money on both sides.

9.Stay
Positive – You’re not going to get accepted for every project. Some clients
will turn out to be total dicks. That’s life. Don’t let it ruin your dream.

10.Other
Sites Pay Upfront – For some reason, I didn’t figure this out for years.
There are sites, such as Textbroker and MyAms, which pay per article. If you
get fed up with bidding, these freelance writing sites are your fallback and a
sure-fire way to earn a steady income.

Hopefully, you don’t make the same mistakes that I did. If
you’re going to work on bid-for freelance sites, know what you’re looking for,
and don’t undersell yourself. With that said, there is a huge potential to make
money on these types of sites. Just follow these guidelines, and you should be
good to go.